Confessions Of An Elder In Love
by enchantment1972
Summary: Gideon's fallen in love with Paige but hasn't found the courage to tell her. After a conversation with Leo and Cole, he decides to make his feelings known to her. Oddly enough, it's a demon attack that allows Paige to see Gideon in a whole new light.**First of the Bewitched and Bewildered series**


**Author's Note:** This is my first foray into Charmed fanfiction and after watching a marathon of the show over the weekend, I thought that I would give it a try. This is AU as this story will have Cole working at Magic School under Gideon along with Leo and Paige. For this story, and if I can think of anymore stories, perhaps a universe, Cole was saved from being possessed by the Source and Gideon never wanted to go after Wyatt.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything in relation to Charmed.

I really loved Gideon's character in the Legend of Sleepy Halliwell and that's basically who this Gideon is based on. I thought that he and Paige had such a great chemistry and so I wanted to bring it to see the light of day. I hope you enjoy my efforts. :)

The end of another school day finds Gideon in his office completely oblivious to the outside world while he searches through several ancient texts in an effort to help the Charmed ones. Moments later, a knock at the door draws his attention away from his research and with a magical wave of his hand; he opens the door to admit his two newest teachers, Leo Wyatt and Cole Turner.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," greets Gideon. "And what can I do for you two today?"

"We just wanted to check in with you seeing as it's our first day, Gideon," answers Leo cheerily as he enters the room. "I think that it went pretty well on my end but I want to make sure that the students feel comfortable as well. Have you had any complaints?"

"Complaints?" scoffs Cole as he drops down into a chair directly across from Gideon. "The only one who has a right to complain is me! Those aren't kids, they're demons and I should know."

"Bit of a rough day then, I take it?" inquires Gideon with a hint of amusement.

"I've had rougher, insists Cole with an exhausted sigh, "Especially since Phoebe and I have moved back into the manor."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asks Leo in confusion.

"I'm referring to your wife, Leo," notes Cole with an extremely pointed look. "It's one thing when Piper has her normal temper but hormonal Piper?" He groans as he leans his head back onto the chair. "Forget it, pal. I'd rather face the Source."

"She's pregnant, Cole! What do you expect?" defends Leo. "And are you comparing my wife to the Source?" he demands in an utterly disbelieving tone.

"Yeah, you're right," nods Cole to Leo in acknowledgement of his faux paus before throwing a cheeky wink to Gideon. "That was totally unfair to the Source."

Gideon laughs aloud while Cole dodges Leo's attempt to punch him in the arm. "So," queries Gideon with keen interest, "is this what being in love with a Charmed One does to you?"

"Why don't you tell us, Gideon?" retorts Leo shrewdly. "How is it going with Paige?"

Gideon instantly sobers and starts sorting through the incoming paperwork that has suddenly appeared in his magical In Box. "I'm sure that I don't know what you're referring to. Now if you two will please excuse me, I have a lot of work that I need to go through."

"Oh, come on, Gideon," cajoles Cole, "everyone knows that you're in love with Paige. Well," he amends as he shares a look of sympathy with Leo over Gideon's plight, "everyone except Paige."

Gideon's about to reply when Leo holds up his hand to ward off his protest. "You don't have to justify anything to us, Gideon," as he gestures towards himself and Cole. "We've all been there. You can deny it all you want but once you've fallen in love with a Halliwell, it's best to just give in. Trust me, it'll go much easier on you and plus, it'll speed you on your way to a much happier ending."

"I wouldn't wait too long, if I were you though," advises Cole. "Phoebe told me that Paige has been talking about conjuring a Mr. Right to satisfy certain needs." He flashes a lecherous grin. "If you know what I mean."

"What?" cries Gideon in outrage.

"Nothing Gideon," soothes Leo as he grabs Cole by his arm and drags him out of the chair and over to the doorway. "We better be going before we're late for dinner, I don't want to upset Piper."

"Yeah, especially now that Phoebe's an empath," concurs Cole with a grimace. "Now that she's been monitoring Piper's pregnancy for every little change, she's constantly channeling her emotions. The last thing I need is for her to burst into tears in the bedroom again."

Leo arches an eyebrow in Cole's direction and questions teasingly, "Are you sure that it's the empathy that's causing the problem?" Cole's only response is to give Leo a quelling glare while Gideon's glare aimed at the former demon remains unchanged since his latest reveal about Paige.

Gideon responds with a noncommittal grunt as he turns back to his paperwork. The men call out, "Goodnight, Gideon," as they exit the room and shut the door.

Once the door closes, Leo thumps Cole's arm and chastises, "Cole! What is wrong with you? How could you say that to him?"

"What?" asks Cole in mock innocence while he throws his arms out to his sides in alleged befuddlement. Viewing his brother-in-law's stony stare, he concedes, "Oh come on, man, I was only trying to help. You know as well as I do that he needed a push in the right direction so I gave it to him." He sticks his hands deep into his robe pockets. "And if he has any sense at all then he'll listen to us before it's too late."

Leo seems to consider this for a moment before relenting. "Still…that was pretty harsh, Cole. Are you sure that you're not still evil?" Cole merely smirks in reply while Leo bears a friendly smile and lays a hand on Cole's shoulder to orb them home.

************Three hours later************

Paige is browsing through the various tomes in the Magic School's library when she hears a deep voice greet her from behind. "Why, hello Paige! What a pleasant surprise to see you here!"

She turns around with a warm smile and replies, "Hi, Gideon. It's good to see you too, although maybe not so much as a surprise seeing as we both work here."

"Uh, why yes, of course…you're absolutely right!" he fumbles as he tries to find his verbal footing. Nervous, he clutches the book that he's holding in a death grip. "So…I had a rather interesting conversation earlier with Leo and Cole."

"Running into more colleagues at the workplace? This must have really been a day of the unexpected for you," she teases kindly.

"Yes, ha ha, very funny," he remarks drily. He scans the empty library and asks, "Why are you still here when everyone else has already gone home?"

"I'm looking for some books on power transference for tomorrow's class. Is there anything that you can recommend?" she inquires hopefully.

Without even glancing away from her, Gideon waves his hand and several books fly off the shelves and onto the table before them. "Thanks, Gideon." She squeezes his hand in gratitude. "You're always such a big help."

He continues to hold onto her hand while he picks up her other one. "I'm glad that you think so. In fact, I'm hoping that I can be of some further assistance to you." Noting her curious gaze, he explains, "Cole told me all about Mr. Right."

Paige's eyes widen dramatically before swiftly narrowing in anger. "That jerk! Who asked him to open his big mouth anyway?"

Gideon tightens his grasp on her hands to call her attention back to him. "Paige, calm down, I'm not admonishing you." Then briefly in a more authoritative tone, "Although I would think that you of all people should know better, what with your having personally experienced the consequences of personal gain and all." Ignoring her eye roll, he pushes forward and offers, "I was hoping that instead of conjuring a Mr. Right that you would deign to accept my services."

"Excuse me?" questions Paige shakily while taking a step back. Knowing _exactly_ the purpose that Mr. Right was being created for, she immediately demands to know, "Exactly what did Cole tell you?"

"Oh, everything," answers Gideon blithely, completely oblivious to her distress. He's smiling quite grandly as he states, "It is my very intention to offer you some much needed relief."

Paige's eyebrows nearly rise to her hairline when she squeaks, "Relief? What kind of relief?"

"I was thinking of giving you some time off so that you could take a holiday from the school, or if you would prefer a briefer respite, perhaps just an evening off to partake in the finest libations and cuisine and possibly find a classical concert or opera to enjoy…" He clears his throat and suggests, "Perhaps with me?"

Another type of relief all together crosses Paige's face before her brow furrows in consternation. "Do you mean like a date?"

"Yes," declares Gideon firmly as he steps closer. "If you would be so gracious as to consent, I would like the honor of your company for the evening. This evening would be quite opportune as I'm readily available, in fact, if you're free."

"I don't know, Gideon," frets Paige. "You're a nice guy and all but the last thing that I want is to start hearing whisperings in the hall that I'm sleeping with my boss."

Eyes alight with hope, Gideon pleads his case. "Paige, if that is your only worry then I believe that I can allay your fears. First off, you may report to me but I regard everyone that I work with more as a colleague than a subordinate."

He begins to pace around the room as he determinedly makes his point. "Secondly, social mores are viewed quite differently and much more openly in the magical world versus the mortal world. Because it is so much more common to find a romantic connection among other magical beings rather than mortals, there is no disdain seen amidst courtships in the various hierarchies."

He takes hold of her shoulders as his gaze focuses solely on her. "And least of all your concerns, we aren't even sleeping together yet."

When Paige simply stares back at him in silence, he rapidly realizes the implication of his last statement and blurts, "I shouldn't have said that last part should I?"

Before Paige has a chance to respond, an explosion rocks the school nearly knocking them both off of their feet. "What the hell was that?" yells Paige over the ringing in her ears.

"That was someone using an Anikto spell to break into Magic School! It's the one spell we were unable to block when we put up the wards but it's so ancient that hardly anyone other than the Elders even remembers it!" He closes his eyes as he senses something. "Whoever is here is in the Main Hall."

Paige hurriedly orbs away at this declaration despite Gideon's warning of, "Paige, no!" Staring at the space where the impetuous witch had just been, he growls, "Blast it!" and then quickly orbs after her.

Paige orbs in behind one of the supporting columns along the walls and spies a scaly grey demon with foot long claws and three horns protruding from his head. "What on Earth is that?" she whispers to herself.

"That is an Akoun demon," she hears in whispered reply.

"Gideon, is that you?" She looks around her. "Why are you invisible?"

"The Akoun demon's senses are absolute rubbish," he replies in a hushed tone. "All except their eyesight, it's incredibly keen. Now what we need to do is – "

"Hey you, over here!" shouts Paige down the corridor while waving her arms around wildly to attract the Akoun's attention. "Are you always this horny or are you just glad to see me?"

"Paige!" hisses Gideon while still retaining his invisibility. _Confound it, woman! What am I going to do with you?_

He watches in dread as the Akoun spots Paige and after letting loose with an ear-splitting howl, it throws a barrage of energy balls which Paige immediately calls to her and sends back to the demon. Unfortunately, another power that the Akoun possesses is the ability to absorb any attack and then to repel it back to the attacker with amplified force. This of course was when the attack was expected, such as Paige's was, and she ends up being blasted down the hall from the force of the ricochet to lie unmoving on the floor.

Gideon's attack however is as stealthy as it is precise. "You shouldn't have done that," comes a voice out of nowhere, right before a telekinetic toss knocks the Akoun into the nearest wall. The demon never even makes it to the floor before a rain of energy bolts assaults him relentlessly as Gideon drops his invisibility to focus fully on his attack.

Once the Akoun catches sight of Gideon, he recognizes him instantly. Thrashing around in agony, he begs in a raspy tone, "Please…I beg you…you are an Elder…you must show mercy!"

Gideon's countenance is as cold and unflinching as his icy gaze as he berates, "If you wanted mercy, then you never should have touched _**her.**_**"** His steady assault doesn't lessen once as he lowers the demon down until they are able to meet eye to eye. "However, you might be of some use to me after all if I decide to let you live. You could deliver a message for me to the rest of the Underworld."

"Yes…anything…" pleads the Akoun. "What is…your message?"

"It's simple, really," announces Gideon. "Paige Matthews is under my protection!" Watching the pure hatred growing in the Akoun's eyes as well as reading its future plans of revenge telepathically, Gideon releases one final hail of energy bolts to reduce the demon to ashes. "Oh, never mind," mutters Gideon, "I'll do it myself."

Noticing Paige beginning to stir, Gideon runs down the hall to kneel at her side and pull her into his arms to help her sit up. "Paige, how badly are you hurt? Do you need me to heal you?"

"Owwww," groans Paige as her head begins to clear. "Only if you can heal my pride, otherwise I should be fine after a few Ibuprofens." She releases another moan as she tries to make herself more comfortable. "Okay, make that _a lot_ of Ibuprofen." She glances up at him with a rueful smile and grumbles, "It would have been nice to know that they had a rebound power."

"Yes, I agree," returns Gideon heatedly. "A fact that you would have been all too well aware of if you had finished listening to me instead of rushing headlong into danger! Are you always this careless?"

"I wasn't being careless!" shouts Paige as she scrambles to her feet, instantly requiring her to clutch Gideon's arm for support. "I was being proactive! I'm a witch and a Whitelighter, Gideon, I can't just stand by while someone that I care about is in danger!"

Gideon laughs outright in disbelief and questions, "You were going to protect me? And who pray tell was going to protect you?"

"Well," she replies with her smile turning slightly seductive, "from what I heard, that would be **you.**"

Suddenly, all of Gideon's anger dissipates as he realizes that he's facing a crucial moment in their relationship, a crossroads so to speak. He can either put on a brave face or he can run away like a coward. He takes another moment to stare down at Paige as he assesses the situation and ultimately gathers his courage to forge ahead. _Oh, to hell with it! She's more than worth any humiliation that I might suffer. Besides, she'd most likely just orb after me anyway._

"Is it truly that much of a surprise that I would do anything in my power to protect you?" he asks in a gentler tone. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to steel his reserve and when he opens them, Paige is stunned by the sheer depth of emotion revealed in his gaze.

He lifts his hand to cradle her cheek and inquires in a husky voice, "With all that you have witnessed and experienced in your lifetime, is that difficult to believe that even an Elder can fall in love?"

"You're in love with me?" she asks dazedly. "But how? Why? We hardly even know each other, Gideon!"

Gideon's grin grows wide as he proclaims, "You may not have had time to learn about me, Paige, but I feel as though I know all about you. At least what's important to me. Now I could spend endless days telling you why I love you, Paige Matthews, but simply put, you not only breathed life into this old school when you came here, but into this old man's heart as well."

Paige wears a slight blush as she smiles back at him. "You're not that much older than me, Gideon."

"Paige," he begins with a bit of a self-effacing smirk, "you have no idea."

"Well then," she intones as she reaches out to straighten his tie, "it's fortunate for you that I can appreciate older men." She gives him a flirty once over taking in his attire and thinking about his British accent and decides to add, "And Harry Potter."

He releases a relieved laugh and asks, "So where do we go from here?"

Gideon's answer comes from the unlikely source of Piper Halliwell when her magically enhanced voice bellows throughout the Great Hall. "Paige! You'd better orb your butt home right now! I did **not **spend all this time making a family dinner just so that you could work through it! Now move it!"

Piper's less than dulcet tones slowly fade away leaving Paige and Gideon feeling caught between embarrassment and laughter. Trying to brush aside her mortification, Paige gives a nervous giggle and mentions, "As Piper so kindly reminded me, I'm due for dinner." She shoots him an expectant look. "Maybe you'd like to join us?"

"I would be honored," he accepts graciously as he leans down and kisses her hand.

"Are you sure?" she asks with a trace of worry tingeing her voice. "I love my family but they're not always the easiest people to hang out with."

Remembering Cole's words from earlier, Gideon paraphrases his answer with a nod of reassurance. "I've faced worse."

"Paige?" Phoebe's tearful wail resonates down the corridor. "Could you please hurry?" Another sniffle resounds and then, "D-d-dinner's getting cold."

"Oh man, not again," moans Cole, his voice amplified by being in such close range to the sisters' spell. "Leo, could you - "

"Forget, it Cole!" echoes Leo throughout the hall. "I've got my own problems!"

"And what is that supposed to mean, Mister?" screeches Piper before the spell ends.

Hesitant to break the silence, Paige murmurs uncertainly, "You're sure that you've faced worse?"

"Of course I'm sure," he assures jovially. At her doubtful gaze, he confesses, "Well, a bit worse…I think." Wanting her to feel more at ease he holds out his arm for her to take and inquires, "Shall we?"

She links her arm through his and nods once. "Yes, we shall."

"Besides," notes Gideon, both Leo and Cole have regaled me with stories of Piper's skill in the kitchen and I've been eager to sample some of her fine fare! We can make a brief stop in the kitchen on our way out for a couple of bottles of vintage wine, I don't like to come to dinner empty-handed, and hopefully over the course of the evening, we can get to know each other a little better."

He tugs her a little closer to his side as he leans in to her and requests, "And then if we have a little time alone together afterwards, perhaps you can explain something to me that I've been wondering about for quite some time."

"Me explain something to you?" questions Paige laughingly. "That'll be a nice change. What do you want to know?"

They continue down the hall as Gideon asks in bemusement, "Who exactly is this Harry Potter that I keep hearing so much about?"

**The End**


End file.
